Third Trimester Survival Kit

As I mentioned in Wednesday’s post, this third trimester has been more difficult than my pregnancy with Alice. I know there are women who have it much harder than me, and I’m really just grateful to have this sweet girl continuing to cook. But to say its been easy would be a major lie. I’m not sure if it’s because of where Bubbles likes to party in there (much lower than A and a lot more erratic) or the fact that I got pregnant within a short time after delivering A. Probably a combo of things.

There are a few things that have made the third trimester a bit easier to handle (besides having the most incredible husband ever, he seriously has picked up SO much of my slack and is my hero!). Here is my Third Trimester Survival Kit:

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Heating Pad– I’m pretty sure my heating pads save my life on a daily basis, I just love them! I use mine on my lower back and at the top of my belly for rib pain, but my doctor told me I can use them anywhere that I have soreness. I have two that are filled with flax seeds (flax seeds don’t hold onto moisture the way many other fillings do). I got mine from a local artisan but this one is very similar.Bigger, More Comfy Underwear– This might be a little TMI so bear with me or skip to the next one. Logic implies that as your belly grows, the surface area that normal, comfy, non-hot-chick panties cover gets larger as well. Or maybe I’m just getting a bigger butt. 🙁 I love the hot-chick panties and all but right now mama needs comfort! I opted for the Hanes Hipster panties because they’re cheap and comfy. I figure they’re only temporary, so I didn’t want to spend a ton of money on them and if they get ruined with all the pregnancy aftermath, I won’t feel bad throwing them out.

More Comfortable Bras– This may not be the case for everyone, but for me, my ribs expanded in both pregnancies (it was way worse with A because she hung out so much higher, but I’m definitely still feeling the pain right now!). This caused my normal bras to get super uncomfortable. For a while I survived with a Bra Extender but it got to the point where that wasn’t even cutting it. Since going braless simply isn’t an option for me, I got some super cheapo sports bras from Walmart, which I cannot seem to find online (think $5 special!). I’ve heard that the Genie Bras that I linked are pretty fantastic as well, and they seem much higher quality. If I wasn’t so close to the end, I’d probably grab those.

Pantiliners– At risk of once again giving TMI, things happen when you’re pregnant. It’s common to experience an increase in discharge. Sometimes you sneeze and pee a little. And I can tell you from experience, when my water broke I was glad to have one of these puppies on! Yea, it only happens naturally to 10% of women, but if not anything else they gave me peace of mind while I sat a work all day praying my water didn’t break during business hours!

Waterproof Mattress Pad– And while we’re on the topic of waters breaking, mine actually broke in bed. And if I hadn’t been wearing the aforementioned pantiliner, I would have been extra glad that we have a waterproof mattress pad on our bed. I once read a statistic somewhere that said the majority of labor starts at night because your body is more relaxed. I don’t know how true this is, but better safe than sorry! The bonus is that this will also be helpful when you have those first postpartum night sweats, leaking breasts and eventually leaky bottles and sippy cups (or if you cosleep).Body Pillow– I’ll be completely honest with you, I hate body pillows. Or anything touching my body while I’m sleeping (seriously that scene in the movie Trainwreck where she’s like “you’re breathing on me” is me, no joke.). I almost left this off the list, but I have so many friends who swear by this pillow for pregnancy, I couldn’t ignore it. If you can tolerate having things touching you while you sleep, these pillows are supposed to be the absolute best!

Belly Butter– While I don’t know for sure if there is a way to truly prevent stretch marks, I used Burts Bees Belly Butter last time around and my belly came out with unscathed. I cannot say the same for my breasts and butt, although I also didn’t use the belly butter on those areas. I’m using it once again with Bubbles and so far so good on the stretch mark front. Fingers crossed that this remains the case. But either way I love the thick texture of the belly butter, that it doesn’t have a major scent and that it’s not overly greasy.Zantac (or Tums)- After my first pregnancy was thankfully devoid of the heartburn that most women suffer, I was not thrilled to have a bit of heart burn this time around and mostly GERD. It’s not terrible, but once in a while when I do get it, Zantac saves the day. You can also pop Tums, but I personally can’t even handle the chalky texture. **Make sure you check with your doctor before taking any medications.

Water- Because hydration. Seriously, I feel SO much worse when I haven’t consumed enough water. I get a ton more Braxton Hicks, I get horrible pressure in my pelvic bone, belly, back etc. Chug that water. Bring it everywhere. I enjoy it more when there’s ice involved (although I cannot stop chewing ice which is horrible for my teeth but I love it!).

January 16, 2016 at 5:45 pm
I love my belly butter and didn't get any stretch marks! But I didn't think about my rear end getting bigger, so I have a few tiger strips there! lol wish I used the body butter on that! But I Love your fair warnings of TMI! Such a great list! :-D
Chocolate Mama Loves Vanill recently posted...6 Things You Might NOT Know About Me

January 17, 2016 at 10:22 pm
Thanks for sharing on Let's Get Real. Love that you are so open to share things like pantinliners. It happens and it is ok.
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